Most research plots are planted with a check cable system presently. This cable is stretched across the field prior to planting. Some type of indicator is mounted on the cable at specified intervals that are then detected by the planter. This signal starts the planting process and locates the plot. This cable is heavy and cumbersome to move across the field with each pass of the planter. Cables are hard to use because of crop residue from the prior year.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to use a GPS in conjunction with the planting process to provide planter tripping for crop research plots.
A GPS receiver will provide the longitude and latitude of the first trip location and provide a continuous flow of location information. A control computer will calculate the next tripping location and provide a signal to the planter at that location and each subsequent tripping location in the field grid.
The GPS receiver will be mounted on the planter to provide location information. When the first plot is manually tripped the computer will use vector information and determine the next tripping location. The computer has a program that allows entry of planted length and alley width so the system can calculate the next plot location from the original planter trip. Additional parameters entered in the program include the number of trips needed to pass across the field and the number of passes that would be needed to complete the planting grid.